Clinical Study on Camel Mastitis (Camelus Dromedarius) at Beni Guecha Area, Algeria

This study aimed to identify different types of mastitis and their incidence in camels in Southeastern Algeria. Data were collected via a questionnaire from nine herds in the Beni Guecha area, Talbi Larbi district, Oued Souf Province, encompassing a total of 240 camels over three seasons (autumn, winter, and spring) from October 2023 to May 2024. Factors such as season, age, lactation stage, number of calving, use of anti-suckling devices, and udder lesions were considered. Gross lesions of affected udders were observed and recorded. The prevalence of clinical mastitis, as determined from the questionnaire, was 8.75%. Two forms of clinical mastitis were identified based on clinical signs and visible milk alterations, with chronic mastitis being the most common at 6.25%, followed by acute mastitis at 2.5%. The study found that 71.42% of mastitis cases involved the use of anti-suckling devices, while 28.53% did not use any device. Tick infestation and anti-suckling devices were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with lactating camel mastitis prevalence among the putative risk factors. Mastitis prevalence was 4.16% during the late stage of lactation, 5.45% during the middle stage, and highest at 20% during the initial stage. The various pathological lesions included chronic mastitis (71.42%) and acute mastitis (28.57%) among the affected udders.